The New Girl
by PythonFan
Summary: Mimi and Angel's first meeting...in kindergarten. Harmless fluff, written for speedrent.


AN: Apologies for the poor Spanish. I've only been studying it for six months, and so I did what I could with my textbooks and Google. Translations for most of the Spanish passages can be found at the end. My poor language skills aside, hope you enjoy.

* * *

"Boys and girls…boys and girls…eyes up front, please…" 

Despite her best efforts, it took young Ms. Franklin—fresh out of school—several attempts to gain the attention of 14 kindergarteners during their free time. When silence finally fell, she gently squatted down next to the tiny girl at her side.

"Class, we have a new student today…this is Mimi. Since her family just moved here, I expect you all to welcome her and to treat her with extra kindness and respect." With that, she patted the girl's thin shoulder and smiled encouragingly. In response, Mimi blinked, confused. After a gentle push, the child wandered uncertainly towards a child-sized table in an isolated corner of the room, stocked with a tin of crayons and a stack of paper.

Introductions over, the chatter typical of a kindergarten classroom slowly returned. Mimi, quite alone at the table, snatched a sheet of pink construction paper. Selecting a green crayon from the coffee tin, she pushed up the sleeves of her pale blue cardigan, tucked a lock of wild curls behind one ear, and set to work—not, however, without keeping a wary eye trained on the groups of kindergarteners scattered throughout the class.

It wasn't long before her five-year-old attention span drifted away from the children and concentrated on her picture, a green-on-pink field of flowers under a large sun. Tongue wedged tightly between her lips in concentration, she was in the process of adding a particularly elaborate bloom when a shadow fell over the brightly-colored page.

Mimi looked up, only to find herself under the scrutinizing stares of three pixie-like girls. She regarded them without response.

The girl who seemed to be the ringleader of the trio, a pale thing with neatly braided pigtails and large blue eyes, spoke first. "You smell funny." she remarked, pert nose wrinkled.

Another blink of her long lashes was the only sign that Mimi had heard anything.

Now it was the second girl's turn. "Her clothes have _holes_." she murmured scandalously. Removing her graceful olive fingers from where they were twirled in her silky mane, she jabbed at the elbows of the new girl's threadbare sweater.

Immediately, Mimi slapped at the offending hand in alarm. "¡No me toque!" she commanded fiercely, eyes widening.

The sudden reaction seemed to stop the trio in their tracks. After a moment, the leader spoke up again, swallowing a giggle. "_What??_"

The third girl, quiet until this point, screwed up her face, simultaneously disgusted and delighted. "Do you…speak any English?" she squeaked incredulously.

Mimi's eyes darted between the three, her expression a mixture of terror and rage, but she gave no indication that she understood their words.

After several moments, the clique dissolved into giggles and whispered snatches of conversation.

"…so _weird_…"

"Why's she _here_?"

"…looks stupid…"

After a time, they quieted, refocusing attention on their subject. Several tense moments passed before the first girl bit her lip and grinned conspiratorially at her sidekicks. "I bet she's so dumb that she wouldn't do anything if I…" Her tiny hand darted out, snatching Mimi's picture from where it lay on the table and clutching the sheet to her chest. She was about to emit a triumphant squeal of delight when, from out of nowhere, she was toppled to the ground, pinned down by a fiery mass of dark curls and tattered blue wool.

"¡Démela! _¡Démela!_" she hissed sharply, her rich brown eyes shimmering with tears. The girl, stunned, could only squeak in response.

Mimi continued to struggle in an effort to regain her lost creation, but her opponent had long since given up and retreated into the fetal position, the sheet of paper wedged tightly between her arms and chest in an act of self-preservation.

Though it was slowly becoming clear to Mimi that any attempt to salvage the picture as it once was would be fruitless, she continued to pummel away, only vaguely aware of the horror-stricken whimpering of the other two girls. This went on for several more minutes before she felt herself being hauled off, still kicking and fighting, and dumped unceremoniously on the hard linoleum.

She panicked momentarily. _¿Quién era¿La maestra?_ However, as the fog of anger and fear slowly lifted, she realized the arms that encircled her chest and carried her away were not the strong, capable arms of an adult, but those of…another child?

The other girls had scattered…to tattle, to hide, to pout, Mimi didn't know and was too miserable to care. Sprawled on her backside on the pea-green tiles, she swiveled her head around to seek out the unexpected mediator.

She spotted the boy standing a foot or two behind her, clad in a red-and-blue striped shirt and jeans. _El podría ser mi hermano_, she thought. Same coffee complexion, same brown eyes, same dark curls. Hands on hips, he smiled at her thoughtfully, eyes twinkling.

She scowled in response. "¿Qué usted está mirando?" she snapped, hauling herself to her feet and straightening her disheveled clothes.

The boy shrugged. "Aquí está tu cuadro." he murmured, walking past her and bending down to pick up what remained of her drawing, now a crumpled, ripped shred of its former self. He straightened again, and held it out for her to take.

Mimi, briefly startled that she'd actually understood something, regarded the boy for a moment before approaching him and accepting the damaged picture cautiously. Turning on her heel, she made her way back to the table without a word and attempted to limit the damage to her drawing. Brow furrowed in concentration, she was using both tiny hands to flatten the marred surface as best she could when another shadow fell over her.

Steeling herself for another confrontation, she took a deep breath and looked up, prepared to see the other girls or, worse, _la maestra_. Instead, she was almost relieved to see the boy in red and blue. He smiled benignly down at her. Still not ready to return the favor, she stared back. "¿Puedo sentarme?" he asked. Mimi considered the request, and after several seconds she shifted over to accommodate him.

For a time, neither spoke as Mimi tried to save what she could of her artwork. Finally deciding that the whole process was pointless, she heaved a sigh and pushed the tattered page away.

The boy took the action as an invitation. "Me llamo Angel." he piped up amicably. "¿Y tú?"

She looked at him, trying to determine if he was friend or foe. _She _knew that _he _knew her name, as the teacher had announced it to the whole class not ten minutes before. But was he like her—could he understand what was being said? Was he as lost in this world of fluorescent lights and ugly tiling as she was? After a short contemplation, she gave the smallest of smiles and ducked her head bashfully. "Mimi." she answered quietly.

If Angel was put off by her manner, he gave no sign of it. "Mucho gusto." he replied, cheerful as ever. After a moment, though, he sobered. "Lo siento por tu cuadro."he said sincerely.

Mimi, uncomfortable with his sudden loss of vitality, shrugged, and gnawed on a lock of hair while keeping her eyes glued to the table.

Sensing her distance, the Angel's easy smile returned. "¿No puedes hablar inglés?" he asked gently.

Unintentionally, his question brought new tears to Mimi's eyes. She could feel her cheeks flush with shame and mortification. "No." she whispered, trying to hide the quiver in her voice.

"Ah, pero sabes una palabra--'no' es 'no' en inglés."

Despite her best efforts, a smile slowly crept across Mimi's face. Quickly, she blinked away the remaining tears, sniffled, and looked up at him again. "¿Sabes hablar inglés?" she squeaked.

Happy to see her spirits lifted somewhat, Angel grinned and nodded. "Sí."

Suddenly, both sensed the presence of an adult looming over them. _Ay caramba… _she thought. Already in trouble, on the first day…Papá would be _muy enojado_.

But it was only the red-headed teacher's aide, bringing them each a _galleta_ and a small plastic cup of _leche_. When she had gone, Mimi stared at the food in front of her.

Angel studied her blank face. "Es un bocado." he explained. "Come."

She glanced up at him, then briefly returned her gaze to the treat before snatching it and gobbling it down. Angel observed the scene, a slight widening of his eyes the only sign of alarm. When her food was gone, Mimi wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sighed heavily.

Several seconds elapsed before Angel queried gently. "¿Desayunaste hoy?"

Eyes flashing, Mimi shot a suspicious glance at him. Finding his demeanor as kind and disarming as ever, she bit her lip and shook her head slightly. Ashamed, she let her head droop to the table, pillowed by her thin arms.

Angel looked at his own snack, still sitting untouched on the table. After only a moment's hesitation, he pushed the napkin and cup across the table towards the slumped figure. She looked up, frowning in confusion at the food before her.

"Para ti." he said simply.

She considered the offer for a moment before reaching out to accept the gift. Before she could, however, Angel was struck with an idea and he snatched it back. "¡Oye…!" Mimi cried in protest.

"¿Qué es esta?" he asked, holding up the _galleta_.

"Es una galleta…damela!" she commanded, swiping unsuccessfully at the food. Did this boy come over here just to tease her?

"No, en ingles." Angel clarified.

Mimi settled back into her seat and pouted. "No sé." she whined.

Angel smiled and set the _galleta_ down. "Cookie." he told her. "Dicela."

Mimi blinked, still a little sullen. "Cookie." The word sounded strange on her tongue, but Angel appeared to be pleased. "¡Muy bien!" he congratulated, and pushed the _galleta_—no, cookie—towards her.

Still wary, Mimi studied both Angel and the cookie for time before reaching out a hesitant hand. When it wasn't snatched from her, she took a bite with a triumphant grin. Angel returned the smile. She chewed in silence for several seconds before pointing at the _leche_.

"¿Qué es esta?" she demanded.

Angel laughed. "'Leche' es 'milk'—'taza de leche' es 'cup of milk'."

"Cup of milk…?"

He nodded encouragingly, "Bien." he answered, pushing the cup towards her.

For the rest of snacktime, the pair sat side by side, Mimi demanding to learn the English words for what she saw.

"Table…"

"Paper…"

"Crayon…"

"Pencil…"

"Chair…"

Suddenly, a thoughtful look crossed Mimi's face. "¿Cómo se dice 'novio' en inglés?"

Angel looked a bit taken aback. "Novio?"

"Sí—yes."

"Novio es…boyfriend."

Mimi grinned wickedly. "Angel?"

"Yes, Mimi?"

"¿Serás mi novio?"

Now it was Angel's turn to blush, an embarrassed smile crossing his face. They shared a lingering smile before he answered. "Yes, si quieres."

Mimi giggled. Gleefully, she threw her arms around his neck and pecked him on the cheek. "Gracias, novio." she whispered appreciatively, as Ms. Franklin announced the end of snacktime. "Tú eres mi mejor amigo."

1 "¡No me toque!": "Don't touch me!"  
2 "¡Démela! _¡Démela!_": "Give it to me! _Give it to me!_"  
3 _¿Quién era¿La maestra?_: _Who was it? The teacher?_  
4 _El podría ser mi hermano…_: _He could be my brother…_  
5 "¿Qué usted está mirando?": What are you looking at?  
6 "Aquí está tu cuadro.": Here's your picture.  
7 "¿Puedo sentarme?": May I sit down?  
8 "Me llamo Angel…Y tú?": My name is Angel…and you?  
9 "Mucho gusto…Lo siento por tu cuadro.": Pleased to meet you…I'm sorry about your picture.  
10 "¿No puedes hablar inglés?": You can't speak any English?  
11 "Ah, pero sabes una palabra--'no' es 'no' en inglés.": Ah, but you do know a word—'no' is 'no' in English  
12 "¿Sabes hablar inglés?": You know how to speak English?  
13 _muy enojado_: very angry  
14 "Es un bocado…Come.": "It's a snack. Eat."  
15 "¿Desayunaste hoy?": "Did you eat breakfast today?"  
16 "Para ti.": "For you."  
17 "¡Oye…!": "Hey…!"  
18 "¿Qué es esta?": "What is this?"  
19 "Es una galleta…damela!": "It's a cookie…give it to me!"  
20 "No, en ingles.": "No, in English."  
21 "No sé.": "I don't know."  
22 "Dicela.": "Say it."  
23 "¿Cómo se dice 'novio' en inglés?": "How do you say 'boyfriend' in English?"  
24 "¿Serás mi novio?": "Will you be my boyfriend?"  
25 "…si quieres.": "…if you want."  
26 "Gracias, novio…Tú eres mi mejor amigo.": "Thanks, boyfriend…You're my best friend."


End file.
